(London = Yonhap News) Correspondent Jiyeon Kim = Tensions are growing in diplomatic relations between Britain and Israel over the issue of Jewish settlements in the West Bank of the Jordan River in Palestine.
On the 8th of last month (local time), the United Kingdom announced that it would introduce sanctions on trade with settlements due to the worsening of settler violence and the expansion of settlements, including the push for settlements in the E1 zone. Along with France and Canada, more than 10 countries also took the lead in joining the sanctions.
Israel, protesting against this, immediately notified Britain to close its Jerusalem consulate within 30 days and withdraw its diplomats. This deadline comes back on the 8th.
Reuters reported on the 6th, citing sources, that the UK is attempting last-minute negotiations with Israel to maintain the consulate, while considering countermeasures if the consulate is forced to close.
The British Consulate in Jerusalem, opened in 1838, long before the establishment of the State of Israel, is located in East Jerusalem and is a separate institution from the Embassy in Tel Aviv. The consulate manages relations with Palestine not only in Jerusalem, but also throughout the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, and also provides consular services to Palestinians.
The closure of the consulate will affect approximately 30 British diplomats and their families. According to sources, a countermeasure the government is considering is the expulsion of Israeli diplomats from the Israeli Embassy in London.
It is a very rare measure for cooperating countries to expel each other's diplomats. Britain and Israel have continued to cooperate in the economic, security and intelligence fields despite recent tensions.
Last week, British Prime Minister's National Security Adviser Jonathan Powell quietly visited Israel and attempted to discuss maintaining the consulate, but failed to reach an agreement.
Another source said there was still hope that Britain would reach an agreement with Israel to maintain the consulate. This source predicted that even if the consulate is closed and Britain actually responds, no action will be taken before the Israeli general election on the 27th.
The British and Israeli foreign ministries declined to comment. However, an Israeli official said, "There will be countermeasures to any measures taken against Israel."
Some analysts say that Israel has no legal authority to close the Jerusalem consulate because the international community, including the UK, views East Jerusalem as occupied Palestinian land.
According to the Daily Guardian, Dominic Grieve, who served as the chief legal adviser in the Conservative government, submitted an opinion to the British Foreign Office, saying, "Contrary to their claims, Israel does not have the right to occupy East Jerusalem with sovereign control, so the UK should challenge the decision (to close the consulate) in court."
In the Senate, Senator David Hannay also questioned the legality of the consulate closure by Israel. In response, Senator Stuart Wood, Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs at the Foreign Office, said that this was a valid point, but that there were concerns that Israel could effectively neutralize the consulate.
Britain, like the United States, has traditionally had friendly relations with Israel, but tensions have continued to rise since the war in Gaza.
Britain has repeatedly criticized Israel's actions in the Gaza war and the violence of Israeli settlers against Palestinians. Israel has refuted and criticized the British Labor government, saying it is hostile to Israel.
Meanwhile, British Prime Minister Andy Burnham issued a message to the British Jewish community on the 7th, marking the third anniversary of the Palestinian armed faction Hamas' raid on Israel, saying, "We stand by you."
Prime Minister Burnham condemned the rise in anti-Semitic incidents in the UK over the past three years and promised: "The Government is committed to protecting our people from hate."
According to the Community Security Trust (CST), an anti-Semitism monitoring group, the number of anti-Semitic cases reported in the first half of this year was 1,926. This is a 20% increase from the first half of last year and is the second highest in history after 2024 as of the first half of the year.
